Sharon Higgins (Sharon Rose, born Sharon Rose Black, July 6, 1941 – January 3, 2003) was an American country and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

Early life

Higgins was born in Bonne Terre,

Missouri, United States Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. Higgins was one of fourteen, her father was killed in a car accident. The loss impacted her and her family greatly and music became an outlet for her and she poured herself into her craft

Faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

was an important theme throughout Higgins' life. A love of God and family was instilled in her at an early age and she credited the Lord with saving her life at the age of five when she was stricken with

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

and whooping cough. After the death of her father August "Gus" Black in 1950, Higgins found it difficult to "fit in" in the large family, but felt it was her duty to take care of the little ones left behind. Her mother, Mildred (Blanton), was forced to work several jobs to support the family. Higgins'

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

was ultimately put on hold so she could do her part. At the age of 17, Higgins married and left home. By the age of 21, she had her first child. The marriage was tumultuous and ended not long after the birth of their daughter. In an effort to support herself, Higgins went to work and started writing.

Music Row success

In 1968, Higgins took a job at a factory in St. Louis. While working the assembly line and dealing with revelations in her own marriage, Higgins penned the words to "

Woman of the World (Leave My World Alone) "Woman of the World (Leave My World Alone)' is a 1969 single written by Sharon Higgins, and recorded by Loretta Lynn. The single was from the LP Woman of the World / To Make a Man and was Loretta Lynn's third number one on the country charts. ...

". Not long after, she took the very last train from St. Louis to the Union Train Station in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. The next day, Higgins got up, packed her guitar, and headed to Music Row. She stumbled into the Surefire Music offices of the

Wilburn Brothers The Wilburn Brothers were an American country music duo from the 1950s to the 1970s, consisting of brothers Virgil Doyle Wilburn (1930–1982) and Thurman Theodore "Teddy" Wilburn (1931–2003). Biography The brothers were born in Hardy, Ark ...

. The receptionist told her Teddy Wilburn had no openings that day, but Higgins was determined to wait. That evening as Teddy Wilburn started to leave for the day, he saw the 27-year-old woman on the couch. He felt sorry for her and agreed to hear her songs. That meeting changed her life. Wilburn signed her to an artist development deal that very day. She was just the second woman to sign such a deal with the company; the first was Loretta Lynn.

Early music

In 1969, the song "Woman of the World (Leave My World Alone)" was recorded by Loretta Lynn and climbed to #1 on the Billboard Country Music Chart. The song earned Higgins the BMI Citation of Achievement. Higgins found other success with songs like "When You Leave My World" Loretta Lynn, "All I Got Left" Norma Jean, "Love Ain't Gonna Die" Mel Tillis, "The Only Way to Hold Your Man" (title cut) Norma Jean, and "Hold on Woman" Jeannie Pruett. Higgins also recorded her own music as a recording artist signed to Kapp Records. She released several singles including, "It's a Long Way from Heaven," "Woman Let Go of My Man," and "She Loved All the Love Out of You."

Marriage and family

Higgins was married at the age of 17. The marriage resulted in one child, Sherry Anne, and ended when Higgins was in her early twenties. She met and married Jerry Higgins in 1965, the marriage lasted ten years. The couple had no children. In 1976, Higgins met and married Ray Loafman. In 1980, the couple had a daughter, Bethany Davis (Loafman). The marriage lasted until her death in 2003. Higgins also helped her siblings find success in

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

. Her brother Damon Black was a close friend to

Porter Wagoner Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Po ...

and the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe. Both men recorded several of his songs. In addition, Higgins sister Joyce McCord had a hit with "Always Always", a duet by

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

and Porter Wagoner.

Music of the 1990s and 2000s

In 1992, Higgins' career shot back with the recording o
"All of that Love from Here"
by Wynonna Judd. The song was a co-write with Kris Bergsnes and Lynn Langham. The album was Wynonna's first solo project after leaving

The Judds The Judds were an American country music duo composed of lead vocalist Wynonna Judd and her mother, Naomi Judd. The duo signed to RCA Nashville in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds were one of the most success ...

and it reached triple platinum status. Higgins' faith was the foundation of her life and she loved to write gospel music
"I Saw the Master This Morning"
a co-write with Dave Gillon, was recorded by Margie Cumbie and later Bill Harrell and the Virginians. In 2002,

The Oak Ridge Boys The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet originating in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in Southern gospel during the 1950s. Their name was change ...

recorde
"Beneath the Christmas Tree"
a co-write with Jeff Pearson for their "An Inconvenient Christmas" album. The bluegrass hi
"Crazy Heart"
was recorded by Lonesome River Band in 2006. Twelve years after her death, her son
"Silver Strands,"
ref> a co-write with Billy and Terry Smith, was recorded by the bluegrass band

The Grascals The Grascals are a six-piece American bluegrass band from Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in February 2004, the band has gained a level of fame by playing on the Grand Ole Opry and bluegrass festivals around the country, as well as with Dolly Part ...

Death

Higgins had battled

heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...

problems most of her adult life. On January 2, 2003, she grew ill. She died on January 3, 2003, at her home in

White House, Tennessee White House is a city in Robertson County, Tennessee, Robertson and Sumner County, Tennessee, Sumner counties in the United States state of Tennessee. The population was 12,982 at the 2020 census. It is approximately twenty-two miles north of down ...

. She was buried at Hillcrest Cemetery in White House, where her family still resides. She is survived by her husband and both daughters.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Higgins, Sharon 1941 births 2003 deaths People from White House, Tennessee American women songwriters 20th-century American musicians Songwriters from Tennessee People from Bonne Terre, Missouri 20th-century American women musicians 21st-century American women